ACCRA (Reuters) – Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu could make his first international appearance while newcomers Tariq Lamptey and Inaki Williams were also named in Ghana’s 29-man squad for this month’s World Cup warm-up matches against Brazil and Nicaragua.
Salisu, 23, is yet to win a cap for his country after turning down previous call-ups in order to concentrate on his career with his Premier League club but met with Ghana Football Association officials this year over his availability for the World Cup finals in Qatar.
The 21-year-old Brighton and Hove Albion right back Lamptey is included after switching his allegiance from England, where he was capped at junior level, while Williams, 28, has also agreed to play for Ghana despite a single cap for Spain in a friendly in 2016.
The Athletic Bilbao striker last season broke the Spanish league record for the most consecutive appearances and has extended it to an unbeaten 237.
Ghana takes on Brazil in Le Havre on Sept. 23 and then Nicaragua in Lorca, Spain on Sept. 27 as they round off preparations for Qatar, where they have been paired with Portugal, South Korea and Uruguay in Group H.
Ghana coach Otto Addo also named two former German youth internationals Stephan Ambrosius and Ransford-Yeboah Konigsdorffer, who the Ghana FA also said had switched international allegiance.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Abdul Manaf Nurudeen (KAS Eupen), Richard Ofori (Orlando Pirates), Joe Wollacott (Charlton Athletic)
Defenders: Joseph Aidoo (Celta Vigo), Daniel Amartey (Leicester City), Stephan Ambrosius (Karlsruher), Alexander Djiku (Racing Strasbourg), Tariq Lamptey (Brighton and Hove Albion), Gideon Mensah (AJ Auxerre), Denis Odoi (Club Brugge ), Baba Abdul Rahman (Reading), Mohammed Salisu (Southampton), Alidu Seidu (Clermont Foot)
Midfielders: Dede Ayew (Al Sadd), Iddrisu Baba (Mallorca), Danie Afriyie Barnieh (Hearts of Oak), Osman Bukari (Red Star Belgrade), Issahaku Abdul Fatawu (Sporting Lisbon), Ransford-Yeboah Konigsdorffer (Hamburger SV), Mohamed Kudus (Ajax Amsterdam), Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (Freiburg), Elisha Owusu (KAA Gent), Thomas Partey (Arsenal), Antoine Semenyo (Bristol City), Kamaldeen Sulemana (Stade Rennes)
Forwards: Felix Afena-Gyan (AS Roma), Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace), Benjamin Tetteh (Hull City), Inaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao).
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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